Guelfo Zamboni, Italian Consul General in Salonika, Greece, 1942-1943

Guelfo Zamboni was a career Italian diplomat.  In 1939-1941, he was stationed in the Italian embassy in Berlin.  There, he was a first-hand witness to the persecution of Jews. 

In April 1942, Zamboni was appointed Consul in Salonika, Greece.  He served in this post until June 1943.  On his own authority and without permission from the Italian Foreign Ministry, Zamboni provided hundreds of Greek Jews Italian birth certificates and certificates of citizenship, which protected Greek Jews from deportation to Auschwitz.  He was challenged by the German authorities, but was able to convince them he had authority from the Italian government.  His actions were supported by Italian Minister Plenipotentiary Pellegrino Ghigi in Athens.  On July 9, 1943, a train load of 350 Jews with certificates of citizenship from Zamboni was safely transferred from the Nazi occupied zone to Athens.